Author Archives: jeffnieman

It wasn’t long into my career as an Assistant DA that I recognized the depressing reality that the court system places a disproportionate burden on low-income individuals. Take revoked driver’s licenses. Most people assume that if your license is revoked it must be for impaired driving, speeding or reckless driving, but those actually account for a tiny fractionContinue reading “Driving While Poor”

In the first week of my campaign for District Attorney, I announced a very important decision and shared it in a self-recorded video. I have committed not to seek the death penalty if elected as DA. Ultimately, a jury decides whether to impose the death penalty, but the DA has the discretion to seek or not seekContinue reading “Why I will not seek the death penalty as DA”

On Wednesday, the NC legislature passed a bill to raise the minimum age at which a child could be prosecuted in juvenile court from 6 to 8. Governor Cooper is expected to sign it into law. I think we can file this under “They Really Had to Pass a Law for That?!” Our state currentlyContinue reading “Raise the Age”

I just got a reminder that NC court costs have gone up…again. You probably know that when someone is convicted of a traffic or criminal offense, there is often a monetary fine imposed by the judge. But usually a majority of what you actually pay is a fixed court cost, the proceeds of which areContinue reading “Court Costs and the Criminalization of Poverty”

As I meet with members of our community, it’s insightful to hear what’s top of mind regarding local criminal justice-related issues.  One common interest area from recent conversations has been our district’s utilization of therapeutic courts. What is a therapeutic court?  It’s a type of specialized court program that seeks to focus on rehabilitation ofContinue reading “Therapeutic Courts”